Paul Priddy

Paul Priddy
Personal information
Full name Paul Joseph Priddy[1]
Date of birth (1953-07-11) 11 July 1953
Place of birth Isleworth, England
Playing position Goalkeeper
Youth career
Fulham
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1971 Hayes 1 (0)
1971–1972 Maidenhead United
1972–1974 Brentford 50 (0)
Wimbledon
Walton & Hersham
1975–1977 Brentford 71 (0)
1977–1978 Tooting & Mitcham United 37 (0)
1978 Wimbledon 1 (0)
Wealdstone 1 (0)
1979 Oxford City 13 (0)
1980–1981 Hayes
1981–1982 Brentford 1 (0)
1983–1984 Hampton
1999 Aldershot Town 0 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Paul Joseph Priddy (born 11 July 1953) is an English former professional football goalkeeper who played in the Football League for Brentford and Wimbledon. Priddy holds the record as Aldershot Town's oldest-ever player, making an appearance in 1999 at the age of 45 years and 270 days.

Career

Early years

A goalkeeper, Priddy began his career at Fulham, where he was also a member of the ground staff at Craven Cottage.[2] He was released without making an appearance and dropped into non-league football to join Isthmian League side Hayes.[2] He managed just one appearance on the opening day of the 1971–72 season before departing to join Athenian League Premier Division club Maidenhead United,[3] where he remained until the end of the season.[2]

Brentford

Priddy moved up to the Football League to sign amateur forms with newly promoted Division Three side Brentford during the 1972–73 pre-season.[2] Despite being signed as cover for Gordon Phillips, Priddy signed a professional contract in October 1972 and held onto the number one jersey for much of the 1972–73 season,[2][4] but a run of just five wins in 22 games saw the Bees relegated straight back to Division Four.[5] The loan signing of Steve Sherwood saw Priddy lose his place and he departed Griffin Park in 1974, having made 54 appearances.[2]

Non-league football (1974–1975)

Priddy dropped back into non-league football in 1974 and joined high-flying Southern League Premier Division side Wimbledon, where he provided cover for Dickie Guy.[2] He later joined Isthmian League club Walton & Hersham, leaving in 1975.[2]

Return to Brentford

Priddy rejoined Brentford, then still in Division Four, as cover for Bill Glazier in 1975.[2] Glazier quit the club after making just 12 appearances and Priddy went on to hold on to the number one jersey until the appointment of manager Bill Dodgin Jnr. the following year.[2] Priddy left Brentford for the second time in May 1977,[4] having made 75 appearances during his second spell with the club.[2]

Non-league football and second spell with Wimbledon (1977–1980)

Priddy returned to non-league football in 1977 and joined Isthmian League Premier Division club Tooting & Mitcham United.[6] He returned to Wimbledon for a second spell in October 1978 and with the club by now promoted to Division Four,[1] he made one league appearance deputising for Ray Goddard.[7] Priddy later resumed his non-league career with Wealdstone and Oxford City.[2][8] He joined Hayes for a second spell in 1980, missing just two matches of the 1980–81 season and making 69 appearances in total for the club.[9]

Third spell with Brentford

Priddy signed terms with Brentford for a third time on a part-time contract in August 1981,[4][1] as cover for David McKellar.[2] Now in Division Three, he made one appearance before departing Griffin Park for the final time at the end of the 1981–82 season.[2] In his three spells with Brentford, Priddy made 130 appearances.[2]

Later years

Priddy retired in the early 1980s, but came out of retirement to sign with Isthmian League Division One club Hampton in November 1983.[9] An ruptured spleen forced him into retirement for a second time.[4] An injury crisis at Aldershot Town in March 1999 saw Priddy come out of retirement a third time for an Isthmian League Cup semi-final second leg match versus Bromley, in which he helped the club through to the final.[10] The appearance saw him take the record as Aldershot's oldest-ever player.[11]

Coaching career

Aldershot Town

Priddy joined Isthmian League side Aldershot Town as goalkeeping coach in July 1992,[12] after being recommended to the club by coach and former Brentford teammate Paul Shrubb.[10] He left the club for a period in November 2001.[13] He remained in the role until late 2009, through the Shots' elevation back to the Football League.[11]

AFC Wimbledon

Priddy began coaching at non-league club AFC Wimbledon in the mid-2000s, remaining in the role until his retirement at the end of the 2012–13 season, by which time the club had been promoted to the Football League.[14]

Career statistics

Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Hayes 1971–72[3] Isthmian League 1 0 — — 1 0
Brentford 1972–73[15] Third Division 25 0 0 0 2 0 27 0
1973–74[15] Fourth Division 25 0 1 0 1 0 27 0
Total 50 0 1 0 3 0 54 0
Brentford 1975–76[15] Fourth Division 34 0 4 0 — 38 0
1976–77[15] 37 0 2 0 2 0 41 0
Total 71 0 6 0 2 0 79 0
Brentford 1981–82[15] Third Division 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Brentford total 122 0 7 0 5 0 134 0
Career total 123 0 7 0 5 0 135 0

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Paul Priddy". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Harefield: Yore Publications. p. 128. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  3. 1 2 "Hayes & Yeading United FC: The Official Website". www.hyufc.com. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2011). The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies. Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. p. 264. ISBN 978-1906796709.
  5. ↑ "Brentford Home Page for the 1972-1973 season - Statto.com". Statto.com. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  6. ↑ "77–78". www.tmu-fc.co.uk. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  7. ↑ "AFC Wimbledon | Features | Obituary – Ray Goddard". www.wimbledonheritage.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  8. ↑ "Players (Alphabetic)". docs.google.com. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  9. 1 2 "Players: Paul Priddy". www.historicaldons.com. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  10. 1 2 "Paul Priddy: 2007/2008 Biography & Statistics – Aldershot Town Football Club". shop.theshots.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  11. 1 2 "Knight handed Shots keeping job". BBC. 2009-12-10. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  12. ↑ "Aldershot Town Football Club: All About: AFC Wimbledon Club News". shop.theshots.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  13. ↑ TW8: The Official Brentford FC Matchday Programme versus Morecambe 17/11/01. London: The Yellow Printing Company Limited. p. 17.
  14. ↑ "Dons appoint new coach". www.afcwimbledon.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 392–396. ISBN 0951526200.
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